South Korea's cutting-edge technology looks set to play an important role in disaster prevention in the Asian area. The Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) said that it had recommended Asian countries adopt terrestrial digital multimedia broadcasting (T-DMB) as their disaster warning system. "During an ongoing preparatory meeting for the 2007 World Radio-Communication Conference in Bangkok, we demonstrated the T-DMB services and it attracted a lot of attention from Asian nations," MIC manager Kim Dong-seok said. T-DMB is a promising cross between telecom and broadcasting, enabling people to enjoy crystal-clear video, CD-quality audio and data on the move via mobile handsets. Korea looks to start the mobility-specific services from May and the government will release six DMB licenses, three for terrestrial broadcasters and the remaining three for other players. When an early warning system is established in relation to T-DMB, it would warn users of imminent disasters through the T-DMB terminals. "We are developing a system that can alarm T-DMB terminal owners even when the power is turned off. When the owners watch T-DMB programs, an emergency sign will appear," Kim said. Kim added that with the introduction of the T-DMB warning system, it will be possible for people to be evacuated and rescued from danger before a situation like the recent South Asian tsunami occurs. At least 172,000 people across Asia died in the tsunami, and 125,000 are missing, presumed dead. The tidal wave hit Southeast Asian nations last December without any warning.